


The Man Who Walks With Ghosts

by orphan_account



Category: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: BAMF Coulson, Dead character is important, Depression, F/M, Friendly ass grabbing, Ghosts, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Other, PTSD, Paranormal AU, Polyamory, Probably feels, Slow Build, Supernatural Creatures, bruce and tony bromance, coulson has wings, slightly graphic depiction of major character death (flashback/dream)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-09
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-08 01:34:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve thinks that he's going crazy when he sees the floating pans for the first time, thinks he gone off the deep end when he sees the writing on the walls. But he knows that he's bonkers when he realizes that he can't leave his house.<br/>----<br/>Meanwhile, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner go on a cross-country witch-hunt to find the source of a demonic energy beacon, picking up some friends along the way.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There's nothing worse than guilt. (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue is alternatively titled 'Bucky' or 'Nightmares Never Stop'  
> Prologue will probably be edited longer, other chapters should be 1,000+ words.  
> (Not all chapters will be this serious, most of the Steve ones will be, at least at first.)  
> \---  
> Please leave comments and kudos, even if you don't have an ao3 account, I would really like to have accurate feedback of how many people will actually continue reading this fic. Thank you for the consideration.  
> Fic should be updated once a week, I will try to do it on a friday, saturday or sunday, so I can keep a fluid schedule. No update on the weekend of January 19th, it was my birthday, sorry. Possible double update to make up for it, but no promises.  
> \---  
> Have a fantastic day

Steve woke up sobbing, images of Bucky falling, just out of reach of his outstretched hand, crashing to the ground, head lolling to the side like a ragdoll, scream still dying in his throat, eyes wide open like he could still see vivid in his mind.

It was Steve's fault, Howard told him it wasn't, but Howard was dead, a car crash that killed him instantly, at least he felt no pain, and he was 64, not 20. Bucky was too young to die, and everyone knew it, another life cut short by war. Peggy told him that he wouldn't have been able to save him, but he knew that it was his fault. He could've, no he should've saved Bucky. Steve was sure that nothing could feel worse than the guilt that surrounded him, enveloping him, cutting at invisible scars and opening equally invisible wounds. When the wounds opened, Steve drank, drowning himself in the bottle, and the pain got worse, as did the hangovers. Peggy tried to help him, but their relationship began to crumble, along with the man Peggy once knew. This shell of a man was not Steve Rogers, not her Steve, the man she knew had hidden so deep inside him that Peggy couldn't even see it. She ended it, as friends, Steve knew why she was ending it, and cried himself to sleep on her shoulder for one last time before she moved away.

Then he was alone, alone in a cold, dark place that he had to drag himself out of, bit by bit, piece by piece, and God damn, why the hell did he go to Afghanistan anyway? Steve still had nightmares, still knew it was his fault, but the guilt that had infected him was fading, leaving invisible wounds that faded to invisible scars. Steve seemed well adjusted, moving into a small studio house in Brooklyn, but only Peggy knew that he still had nightmares, still just as vivid three and a half years later, if not more.

He would crawl out the constriction of the nightmare (more like a flashback), only to fall back in again. Eventually it got to the point where Steve wouldn't sleep for days on end, and then fall into a heavy sleep for only a few hours, before the dreams woke him again. It was pitiful, he thought to himself, he hadn't been affected this badly by the death of his mother (an aneurysm, she died painlessly, but suddenly), which was also premature. But the nightmares kept coming, slowly taking over his life, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He'd gone to therapy, he'd taken medication, he'd done everything, and nothing could get rid of those nightmares. Steve knew that they would eventually run him into the ground until he was six feet under, but for some reason, he kept going. After all, Bucky would hate him if he didn't.


	2. The Book (Prologue Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini Tony backstory. Also, Carbonell is Maria Stark's maiden name (which is not explained in the story, but is important to know).  
> Also this one has one picture, plus book transcripts, book transcripts will be italicized and always begin with transcript: and end with :transcript end.  
> Also Tony's parents are rich, but not super rich, and they deviate from canon a lot, so yeah. (Rich enough to have a butler, but not rich enough to have a chauffeur or a chef)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to make the prologue one chapter because people are unlikely to go back and read a prologue again just because I edited it longer.

**April 10th, 1988**

Tony was almost three the first time it happened. He was in the elevator with his mother, and a slightly transparent old woman. He waved at her and she looked at him sadly and floated through the ceiling. Of course, Tony started to scream and it took Maria almost two hours to calm him down.

“Tony, no one went through the ceiling, you’ll be fine, you’re my iron boy, remember?” She held him close until there weren’t any tears left.

**May 17th, 1989**

The second time it happened was on his fourth birthday.

“MOMMY!” Tony shouted, and Maria came running.

She found her son with cake smashed all over his face. “Tony, what did you do? It’s not time for cake, your friends aren’t even here yet.”

“S’not my faul’, the flyin’ man did it.” Tony explained as she started to wipe frosting out his ear.

“People don’t fly, you just put your face in the cake, didn’t you.”

“NO, the man was flyin’, for real!” He insisted, pouting when Maria ignored him and started to clean his other ear.

**October 30th, 1990**

The third time it happened, he talked to one.

Jarvis had taken him to the park, and Tony was playing in the sandbox, much to the butler’s dismay.“That sand is disgusting young sir, get out of there at once.”

Tony said,“Dun’ wanna.” and threw sand at him until he changed his mind.

Resigned to his fate, Jarvis took out _Gone With The Wind_ and sat down on a bench to read. Young sir was babbling to himself as usual and Jarvis paid it no mind. Well, until Tony squealed and ran back to Jarvis, smiling like a madman.

“There was this girl an’ I played in the san’box wif her, but when I tried ta’ touch her arm my han’ wen’ right through!” He explained running in circles around the bench.

Jarvis sighed, “Whatever you say young sir.”

**December 25th, 1993**

When Tony was eight, he realized that he was seeing ghosts.

His uncle Marvin got him a book called _A Complete Guide To Supernatural Creatures_ , it was a big book, and it looked old.

Tony was extremely disappointed, his parents had given him cool new things, like a toolkit and a computer. But this was just an old book, Tony asked uncle Marv if he had any more presents, but he shook his head.

“Give that book a try Tony, it’s been in the Carbonell family for five generations, there isn’t another one in the world like it.” He explained, opening the book, and flipping in a few pages, “That’s a picture of your great, great, great, grandmother, she wrote the first 150 or so pages, she was in her thirties when the picture was taken.”

**_Photo Transcript: Celeste Dubois, 1872_ **

 

Looking at the old photo, Tony noticed a vague resemblance between the woman pictured and his mom. “She looks kinda like mommy.” He said simply, and snatched the book out of his uncle’s hands, lugging it up the stairs.

Howard called up the stairs after him, “Say thank you or you don’t get to use the computer for a week!”

“Thanks uncle Marv!” Tony yelled, slamming the door of his room.

Tony read the first page (Besides the table of contents, which he skipped because it was like, 40 pages long, plus blank pages), which was about people with the ability to see ‘the paranormal and supernatural creatures’.

_Transcript: It is extremely rare for a human to have the genetic ability to see ‘supernatural’ creatures; but it is possible to gain the ability in many ways._

_1) Birth: a child can be born with the ability to see ‘supernatural’ creatures, but it does not usually manifest until the child is two to four years of age, when they will be able to see spirits. The ability to see other types of creatures usually manifests during or after puberty._

_2) Mass manifestation: ‘Supernatural’ creatures have the ability to manifest themselves to non-seers (humans who cannot see ‘supernatural’ creatures/occurrences). This can happen for a variety of reasons, but a non-seer can gain the permanent ability to see if: A) One or more powerful creature(s) manifest, or B) Many weaker creatures manifest at once._

_3) Contact with ectoplasm: If a non-seer absorbs/ingests certain types of ectoplasm, they may gain the temporary (or rarely, permanent) ability to see ‘supernaturals’._

_4) Gifted: Some supernaturals can ‘give’ the ability to see to individuals that they deem worthy (or more commonly: at random)._

_5) Being in the company of a ‘projecting’ seer for prolonged periods of time: Some seers (humans with the ability to witness ‘supernatural’ happenings) ‘project’ or unconsciously exude spiritual energy, this can cause non-seers to become temporary seers if they are constantly around the ‘projecting’ seer._

_6) Enchantment: There are spells that can make one a seer, but they are generally unsafe and are not endorsed._

_7) No further methods are known at the time of writing (1872)_

_:Transcript end._

Tony had no idea what puberty was, but he was obviously one of those ‘birth’ seers, which was exciting and scary at the same time. He wanted to see the other types of creatures, so he hoped puberty would happen soon. He wondered if his uncle was a seer, but was told to go to bed before he had the chance to ask.

The book was shoved onto his bookshelf, and Tony promised himself that he wouldn’t look at it until puberty happened.

**February 23rd, 2000**

Well, puberty happened, and it sucked until Tony saw the cat-lizard, or lizard-cat, or whatever it was. He’d waited almost seven years for this, and he practically bounded into his dad’s car after school.

When he got home, he wrenched the book off the shelf and cracked it open. Looking through the table of contents (Which he had skipped as an eight year old), he saw that the last listing simply read: Dear Tony.

Weird, Tony flipped to the page, which still had many blank pages after it.

_Transcript:_

_Dear Tony,_

_(I’m assuming that you’re a seer, if I’m wrong, don’t bother reading this.)_

_When you turn eighteen, call this number (I guarantee that it will still be in service, don’t worry): (1-702) 184-0049. This is SHIELD’s call number (SHIELD doesn’t actually stand for something to my knowledge, it just sounds cool). SHIELD is an underground seer and ‘supernatural’ organization. I can’t give you details, but I can say that the jobs are fun and pay well._

_Sincerely,_

_Uncle Marv_

_PS: If they try to hang up on you, tell them that your uncle is Marvin Carbonell, and that you’re a seer._

_:End Transcript._

Well, it looked like Tony would have to wait a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback in the comments and leave a kudo if you liked it. Thank you for reading, I love all of you.

**Author's Note:**

> Please give feedback by leaving comments and kudos, constructive criticism welcomed. Looking for a beta, please tell me if interested. PLEASE POINT OUT RUN-ONS, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEM.
> 
> Thank you so, so much for reading, I love every reader and I honestly don't care if you like it or not. I'm just happy that anyone stumbled upon my work at all.


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